The Sixth Blight Main Story
Backstory/Prologue * Sares at Ghislain Circle * Andryanna and Gwyn Meet/Andryanna's Harrowing ** AO3- Hossberg Circle Prologue ** Gwyn is recalled to the Hossberg Circle from his usual post at the "Mage Hunter" when several diaries are stolen from the vaults. Meanwhile, the young apprentice Andryanna has been tasked to translate the diaries in secret by her mentor. Gwyn discovers the diaries and the two mages' involvement in their theft and use. It devolves into a fight between Andryanna's mentor and Gwyn, one that is resolved by Gwyn beheading the man right in front of Andryanna. Five years later, this event continues to haunt the two. Andryanna is deemed ready to take her Harrowing and Gwyn is one of the Templars who presides. She emerges from the Fade unscathed, much to both of their relief. * The Elven Vendor ** AO3- The Elven Vendor Prologue * From Hossberg to Weisshaupt ** Gisele arrives in Hossberg and is secretly given documents from her mentor, Gaius. They require translation, so she is stumped until she encounters Sares. The two learn that a talented translator is with the Wardens at Weisshaupt, so the two set out together over the desert. They build trust with each other, despite the fact that Gisele is an apostate and Sares is a committed Circle mage. They encounter several bands of darkspawn along the way and arrive at Weisshaupt with darkspawn hot on their heels. * New Recuits ** AO3- Hear Ye, Hear Ye ** Andryanna and Iskander arrive separately to Weisshaupt Fortress, where the Wardens are preparing an excursion to deal with a nearby force of darkspawn and obtain blood for the new recruits to use in their Joinings. They join Katari, Tiberius, and Gwyn, who had already reached the Fortress, and set out on the mission. * Battling Darkspawn ** The Wardens, Recruits, and accompanying troops arrive at a canyon the darkspawn force is traveling through. The battle is hard-fought but the combined forces of the Wardens, Iskander's Dust Hounds, and Ser Gwyn manage to defeat them. However, during the fight Gwyn receives a bite on the neck from a Shriek which Taints him. Warden Minne is knocked unconscious during the fight and accidentally left behind. * The Joining ** All of our intrepid Warden Recruits participate in the Joining and survive. Andryanna, Gwyn, Tiberius, and Katari become newly minted Wardens. Katari realizes that Minne did not make it back from the canyon with them so he enlists Tiberius and Andryanna's help in finding her. Andryanna runs into Gwyn and he agrees to help as well. The four sneak out through a well and make their way back to the canyon. * Attempting to Rescue Minne ** The four new Wardens reach the canyon in one piece but are ambushed by shrieks. They manage to fight them off, thanks in large part to a burst of Katari's wild magic, but not before a shriek bites the Qunari's upper arm. They are forced to amputate at the shoulder. Minne is rescued but the team now has a variety of injuries and no idea where they are going. Thankfully, Iskander and a small contingent of Wardens have noticed their absence and have come to rescue the rescue party. * Rescue in the Wastes ** Iskander and company lead the party to a cave where they can rest for the remainder of the night. He introduces himself to the new Wardens and takes their measure. Meanwhile, Katari is stricken with guilt over the botched rescue attempt. He falls into a fitful sleep and dreams about Hope for the first time. Tiberius and Andryanna have a romantic moment, sharing stew and then laying down to cuddle together for the night. * Returning to Weishaupt ** The new Wardens are dressed down by the First Warden and have babysitters assigned to them to keep them out of further trouble. The team splits up, some heading to their rooms and others to the dining hall. Gwyn has a moment to react to his new status and his handler, Fernando. Katari and Andryanna share a moment of passion in his room- her first kiss. * Lyrium Withdrawal And Bad Reactions ** In the commotion of Sares' and Gisele's arrival, Andryanna attempts to leave the fortress to help and Gwyn Silences her. Immediately afterward he suffers severe side effects of lyrium withdrawal. Andryanna rushes to help him and is provided some lyrium by Iskander. This stabilizes Gwyn. Andie decides to try and dig up information about these symptoms so she can help the former Templar. * Researching Lyrium and Teaching ** Andie begins her research on Gwyn's symptoms. Tiberius bumps into her in the library and reluctantly reveals that he is illiterate. Andie teaches him the basics of the alphabet. Flirting abounds. They eventually end their research and set out to find out about the new arrivals, Sares and Gisele. * Its Not Polite to Harm People ** Andie and Tibs tip Gwyn out of bed in the infirmary to try and get more information about his lyrium withdrawal. Gwyn reacts about as poorly as one might expect. Thankfully, Sares and Gisele interrupt the altercation. Andie and Tibs leave with Gisele while Sares and Gwyn get tucked back into bed. The sexual tension between the two men is immediate and palpable (not to mention adorable). * Translations Take Time ** Gisele tells Andie and Tiberius about the documents given to her by Gaius. They begin working on the translation, but still manage to find time for some Girl TalkTM. Andie and Tibs share a kiss in the library. Later, Andie and Gisele discover that the documents are written in code and the cipher is located in the diaries that got Andie in trouble years ago at the Hossberg Circle. They develop a plan to go to Hossberg and collect the diaries from the mages. Part One- Act One- Weisshaupt * Justice Needs to be Blind ** Andie, Tiberius, and Gwyn receive punishments for their recent escapades (Andie and Tibs for tipping a sick Gwyn out of bed, Gwyn for Silencing Andie during Sares and Gisele's entrance). Andie's punishment reveals the presence of Anders, who has been locked away beneath Weisshaupt for nearly 30 years. He tells Andie that Solona Amell tasked him with finding a cure to the Taint. He also agrees to help break Gwyn's lyrium habit and gives Katari guidance in healing. Anders obtains the key to his cell after his conversation with Andie and Katari. * Mages, Templars and Wardens. Oh My! ** The whole gang gets together for breakfast, where Andie and Katari discover they no longer have the key to Anders' cell. They rush down to find that he'd taken advantage of his brief freedom but ultimately decided to return to his cell. Gisele and Andie separately resolve to visit the First Warden for more information. * To Balance the Scales of Justice ** Andie and Anders meet with the First Warden. He chews them out but ultimately agrees to allow Andie to travel to Hossberg with a contingent of Wardens in order to obtain the cipher to the documents Gisele brought. They run into Katari on the way out. He attempts to warn the First about a possible Blight but is rebuffed by the guard at the door. Andie begins to put together her crew for the trip. * Let No Soul Hunger for Justice ** Gisele, up in arms after discovering Anders is a prisoner at Weisshaupt, demands to speak to the First Warden. He is able to calm and appease her. He suggests she seek out Andie if Gisele wants to keep a further eye on Anders' comings and goings. Part One- Act Two- Hossberg * Justice is Harsh, Justice is Cruel ** Andie and Gwyn happened upon Andie's father (who Gwyn then killed), Gwyn told her info about her mother, they went to the Circle where the retrieved the documents they were looking for, and the Knight-Captain worked with them to gather evidence about Templar abuses. She said she would have evidence ready in two days. Andie and Gwyn returned to the tavern to strategize with the rest of the team. ** Gisele and Tiberius went to the Chantry where they found a map of Blight locations in the library. Gisele talked to Revered Mother Gertrude about an exchange of documents about the Blight for proof of the Knight Commander's crimes. Tibs distracted the Knight-Commander to give Andie and Gwyn more time for their half of the mission. ** Sares and Katari retrieved a healing book (for Katari) and a blood magic book (secretly for Sares) and heard rumors of Amell's whereabouts traveling south with a golem. They also heard rumors of the "Raven Haired Death Goddess" of a group of fog warriors attacking Tevinter settlements on the border of the Tevinter Imperium and Anderfels, and the destruction of Tallo * The Hidden Cost of Justice ** Solona wakes everyone up and informs them that the artifact in no longer in Razikale's temple and has most likely been moved to Tevinter. * The Quest for Justice Creates Strange Bedfellows ** Sares, Katari, Anders, and Harris find Iskander in a tavern while the rest of the group heads to the Circle for the Knight Captain's evidence. * A Chorus of Voices Beyond Counting Calling out for Justice. And All That They Had Done was Known to Him. ** Andie, Gwyn, Tibs, and Gisele go to the Circle to get evidence from the Knight-Captain. They discover the abuse of the mages has escalated. The Knight Captain provides the evidence and the group sends Tibs to give it to the Revered Mother in order to rally reinforcements. Gwyn, Andie, and Gisele fight and kill the Knight Commander, then confront the First Enchanter. The Templars are divided and the team fights to make their way out of the Circle, accidentally setting fire to it as they do. The Knight Captain is left in control of the Circle after everyone makes it out safely. * The Winds of Justice Blow, Cooling the Ardor of Victory ** The group unwinds back at the inn. Tibs, Andie, and Gisele venture out to a tavern for a drink- or several. Meanwhile, Gwyn and Sares consummate their relationship. It is both masculine and tasteful. When the trio return to the inn, Gisele stumbles upstairs into the arms (and bed) of Harris. Tibs cockblocks Andie. * The Journey for Justice is Ever Long and Difficult ** The group is now accused of murdering Knight-Commander based on newspaper article. They decide to lay low and hide their status as Wardens until this blows over. Luckily they're going to Tevinter next. The group takes a bit of time to strategize and decides, on Anders' suggestion, to head to Vol Dorma to seek help from the "Goddess of Death". Harris recovers Amell's letter from Iskander ** Gwyn, Sares, & Andie go to the brothel where Gwyn grew up. It's in disrepair. They meet with the Madame who is a bitch and fight a despair demon who was bound in Gwyn's old room. They find out that Gwyn's mother was taken by a Magister from house Quintus, who also laid claim to Gwyn, after Gwyn was given to the Chantry. * The Currents of Justice Lead to Change ** The group leaves Hossberg and begins the trek to Vol Dorma. The first night out of the city, all of the Wardens share a dream about Razikale. The group argues about how to hide Katari in Tevinter but nothing is decided upon. ** The next evening, Anders tries and fails to win over Gwyn via one-on-one combat. Andie practices her Fade Step spell with Gisele but accidentally Steps into a rock, breaking her collarbone. ** On the third night, Grey Warden dreams trigger Justice to take over Anders. In the ensuing struggle to calm him, the Hope spirit takes over Katari's body. Hope calms Anders down but when Katari returns to himself, he begs Gwyn to kill him. He falls unconscious after Gwyn refuses. ** The next day, Andie confronts Gwyn about the previous night's events but this turns into a screaming match between her and Sares when he jumps in to defend his man. Tiberius and Gwyn defuse their partners' tempers. Gisele cockblocks Andie and Tibs. Gwyn cockblocks no one. ** While traveling that same day, the group is ambushed by tunneling darkspawn bursting from the ground. One of the darkspawn spoke audibly, confirming the existence of talking darkspawn. The group was saved by the "Goddess of Death" who also turned out to be Katari's sister, Zara. * Into the Depths of Darkness One Must Travel in the Pursuit of Justice ** Zara takes Katari into her band of warriors to help him deal with his trauma. She escorted them to a deep roads tunnel that would take the group to Minrathous. The group spent time in the tunnels to develop a new strategy for searching for the Relic. Part One- Act Three- Tevinter * The Price of Justice is Often Paid by the Innocent ** The group discovers that Gisele was infected by the Taint during their battle. Anders is able to create a Joining brew thanks to the special properties of Gwyn's blood. They proceed to the gates of Minrathous and attempt to blend with the crowds to enter. As soon as they pass the guards, however, Tiberius and Gwyn are identified as wanted parties. They are taken away in chains while the rest of the group is allowed to enter the city unmolested. They wind up at the house of Ophelia, who is an old friend of Sares. She reveals that she is Anders' and Solona's daughter. * The Sins of The Mother, The Father and The Brother are Chains Upon The Soul ** Tiberius and Gwyn are thrown into a prison called the Pit which is overseen by a maniacal Magister named Valentin. Over the course of several days, the pair are subjected to various abuses in the name of Valentin's experiments. Tiberius is forced into a gladiatorial fight in the Pit and kills a drake. Gwyn and Tiberius discover that one of the cells contains a demon in a child's body named Titus. Tibs is taken to get a blood magic tattoo while Gwyn attempts to manipulate Titus. He is rescued by Magister Orianus Quintus before he can. The Magister claims to be Gwyn's brother and spirits him away to see his mother. Andie breaks into the prison to rescue Tibs and Gwyn but is captured herself. Eventually, with the help of Demon Todd, Andie and Tibs are able to fight and kill Valentin. * Hope Springs Eternal in the Pursuit of Justice ** Justice is able to intercept a magical dream message from Gwyn via their shared Taint. Anders informs Sares and the rest of the group that Gwyn and Tibs are being held in the Pit. * Trials of Blood and Passion ** Sares reads the blood magic book he obtained in Hossberg and receives some training in blood magic from Ophelia. Afterwards, Ophelia enlists her friend Salacia, a Soporati noble, in seeking information about the whereabouts of the group's missing members. * Reflections Upon a Mirror Reveal the Hidden Truth ** Gwyn is taken to Magister Orianus' mansion. He sees his mother, Songbird, for the first time in many years. Although initially distrustful, Gwyn gradually begins to enjoy the little family Orianus and Songbird have created. Gwyn sends a message to the others in Minrathous to invite them to the mansion. * The Screams of Justice Fall on Deaf Ears ** Tiberius and Andie return to Ophelia's house after killing Valentin. They inform the others that Gwyn has been taken. Tibs finally stops cockblocking Andie. It is very lovely and tasteful. The next morning, Orianus' maid delivers Gwyn's message. Sares and Andie decide to return with her to the mansion. * A Darkened Mirror Can Show No Lies ** Sares and Andie arrive at the Quintus mansion. They quickly realize that something is amiss- Gwyn is just a bit too content. Knowing that happiness is just not in Gwyn's vocabulary, Sares and Andie grow more suspicious until they finally call out Orianus' mind control. A fight ensues with Orianus controlling both Gwyn and Songbird. Sares and Andie manage to snap Gwyn out of it. Gwyn corners and kills Orianus. He holds his mother in his arms as the magic sustaining her life fades away. They burn down the manor and find their way back to Minrathous by carriage. * The Price of Getting A Head in Life ** While Andie and Sares go to rescue Gwyn, Salacia infiltrates the home of Tibs' brother, Gaius Valerian, in order to plant Valentin's head on the property. She is caught in a trap and held in a cell beneath the house. When she has not returned by the next day, Ophelia enlists Tibs to go to the house and rescue her. Instead of finding Gaius, they are met by Magister Mactator. Tibs, Ophelia, and Salacia defeat the magister. He tells Tibs that Gaius was heading south of the city. * Vengeance is Oft a Bitter Balm in Place of Justice ** The group travels south of Minrathous and encounters Gaius Valerian traveling with the remnants of Valentin's experiments as well as the Relic. Gaius unleashes Titus on the group. It immediately turns into an ogre-demon Harvester hybrid. Meanwhile, Tibs chases Gaius into the woods. He is able to overpower him but cannot bring himself to kill him. Tibs and Gwyn both attempt to wield the Relic but only Gwyn is able to do so. It burns the lyrium from his blood but instantly kills Titus. Gaius escapes in the commotion. The group recovers the Relic. They head directly to Weisshaupt. Part One- Act Four- Weisshaupt * Wars Have Been Fought in the Name of Justice ** The group returns to Weisshaupt to find that Solona Amell has taken over the Wardens by force. She interrogates them one at a time to determine what has happened in Hossberg and the Tevinter Imperium. * The Blacksmith, Of Stones and Feathers, Even the Prettiest Flower Has Thorns. ** The group disperses to pursue different activities. Gwyn gathers supplies to make new armor. Tibs and Shale chase pigeons. Salacia and Ophelia get drunk. * The Warden and the Enchanter ** Sares asks Amell for combat training. Gwyn encounters their practice and antagonizes Amell. Tibs and Shale also happen upon the training. * You Sure You Aren't Ferelden? ** Amell and Tibs share a drink in the tavern. He tries to press her on her leadership style and boundaries. He comes out of the conversation believing she'll be a good leader. * From the Ashes Shall I Rise ** Andie enlists Gwyn and Anders in her experiments with the Relic in Amell's office. Gwyn and Anders share a moment of understanding. One of Andie's experiments with Anders' blood and the Relic nearly sunders Justice from Anders. Gwyn searches for wine in the First's office while Anders recovers. Amell stumbles onto this search and offers Gwyn the bottle of Dalish Ice Wine from the Inquisitor. He chucks it out the window. Amell turns into a wyvern and breaks his legs. Tibs is horrified. Anders is pissed. Gwyn is traumatized. * Healing and Growth of Many Kinds ** Gwyn awakes in the infirmary in great pain and is calmed by Sares. He then confronts Amell about the incident. Gwyn spends the next few days recovering in the infirmary. He is visited by Amell but is too terrified of her to allow her to make amends. Anders and Andie come to heal him. During the healing Gwyn mentions scars he saw on Amell's arms. Andie reveals that they are self harm scars and that she has several like them. * On the Nature of a Hero's Justice ** Tibs and Salacia talk in the Chantry about the Gwyn incident and her impending Joining. Salacia is perplexed and annoyed when Tibs refuses to follow her advice. * Justice Reflected is Often Soured and Bitter, Birds of a Feather ** Salacia is given her Joining in the presence of Amell, Anders, Sares, and Ophelia. Afterwards, Sares and Ophelia are sent via Eluvian to Marian Hawke's estate. They are to bring back Carver to act as Amell's second in command. Marian and Fenris tag along. Carver reluctantly accepts the job and sets to work learning about the goings-on in Weisshaupt. *Idle Hands **Marian spends a little time causing trouble with Fernando then visits Gwyn in the infirmary. She does everything she can to get the surly man to open up. He shows no interest until she mentions stealing the Warden personnel files. The files do nothing to alleviate his paranoia regarding the First. Tibs and Andie encounter them with the files. Another fight occurs between Gwyn and Andie. Tibs has a talk with Gwyn then takes possession of the files. Andie runs into Sares after the fight and the two have a talk over some magic training. * It's Lonely at the Top ** Tibs approaches Amell thanks to his conversation with Sal. He proposes a representative government for the Wardens to prevent any future 'Gwyn incidents'; Amell accepts. That settled, Tibs sets off in search of Marian so he can get his tattoo fixed. He, Fenris, and Andie work to track her down. They find mabari instead. The dogs lead them to the infirmary (Idle Hands). * Blood, Sweat, and Lyrium ** Marian, Fenris, and Anders all help fix Tibs' tattoo. He loves it. Later, Tibs finds out about Andie's self harm scars. He likes those less. * The Haunted Fortress ** Salacia begins Warden training with the Ghost, Eaden. He tasks her to steal items from Amell, Anders, Tibs, and Daisy, and then put them in unexpected places for the targets to find. *